The Feudal Lord and her Warrior
by aiokikasete
Summary: Nejiten one- shot. She is the daughter of the feudal lord of the Kingdom of Fire, and the sole heir to the throne. He is a guardian sent to protect her since she was a child. When unrest and war break out, she reclaims her empire with the help of her subjects. He is always there for her every step of the way.


They first meet when he rescues her from her father's enemy, a fierce guardian who descends from the sky and fells hundreds of foes with a slash of his sword.

When it is over, she begs him to be her master, determined not to depend on others for her own safety next time, a certainty, being that she is the Feudal Lord's sole daughter and inheritor of the Kingdom of Fire. The silent warrior with his long black hair and mystical eyes accedes to her request, and they begin training the very next day. She learns that he is Neji Hyuuga, and he knows that she is Tenten Jin, heir to the throne. They discover that she has a talent for swordsmanship, the sword becoming a natural extension of her arm.

They train together, master and student, every day for a year, after which he states that she has advanced enough to fend for herself. Through their time together, Tenten has fallen in love with her master, admiring his strength in both body and character. They part under a maple tree, she back to the castle, he departing for locations unknown.

Tenten does not know that Neji had been her secret guard since she was ten and he was thirteen, assigned to the job by her father, Lord Jin of the Kingdom of Fire. As planned, Neji was to train Tenten in the art of defence, and he has fulfilled that duty admirably. He embarks on an undercover mission to infiltrate potential enemy camps after leaving her. She is in his thoughts for the two years he is away, and he keeps tabs on her to assure himself of her safety. When word of another uprising reaches his ears, he makes his way back to her side.

Tenten's beloved father is assassinated in the second uprising, and she vows to protect his legacy. Older now and equipped with deadly skill, she enters the battlefield with her soldiers, bathing the earth with her enemy's blood. However, as wave after wave of adversaries attack the castle, Tenten is wounded lethally in the final, definitive battle. Just before she loses consciousness, he appears.

Neji spots her on the bloodied grounds in the thick of armed enemies determined to take her down. Nevertheless, she fights fearlessly, her sword flashing in the sun. In this moment, he is in awe of her. Swiftly, he cuts down the enemy, reaching her just in time to catch her before she falls. Copper red stains his armour as she collapses against him, and he knows true rage. Shielding her as he clears a path of escape with his katana, they retreat to a hideout where he can heal her in safety.

She wakes up three days later, surprised that she is not dead. Neji enters the cavern and quietly feeds her restorative medicine. She wishes to ask after him in the past two years but succumbs to exhaustion again. He sits down by the makeshift bed, and holds her in his arms for the night. When Tenten awakens hours later, Neji tells her the truth of his identity, and urges her to restore her father's rule with his help and the assistance of her father's advisor, Shikamaru of the Nara clan. She agrees, remembering her vow. They return to their new headquarters at Shikamaru's clan house as gears start to turn in the plan to rebuild her empire.

Their first step is to gather more military power, and one way is to make allies with other nations. Neji leaves her side often on missions that bring him into dangerous territories where nations might be friend or foe. With his gifted tongue and sound plan for a win- win situation, sympathetic feudal lords of neighbouring lands soon pledge their alliance to Tenten. He misses her on these frequent and often long diplomatic trips but does not tell her so. Nevertheless, she has never hesitated to spend time with him after he returns, regardless that she is the princess and he is but her loyal warrior. Days meld into each other as they plan and strategise on the best way to defeat their enemy.

After a long year of preparation, the fated day of war finally arrives. Their military supreme commander, Gaara, has come up with a series of war tactics that complement Shikamaru's guerilla ploys. The victories come easily with Gaara, Lee, and Naruto leading battle units effectively, keeping morale up and casualties down. Tenten wishes to join her comrades in battle, and Neji is the only one who manages to convince her that her safety is now paramount to the success of their plan.

Neji, being a superior fighter himself, enters into battle in the second prong of their attack plan. This involves infiltration into enemy grounds by night and assassinating enemy unit commanders. Having perused the blueplans of the campgrounds thoroughly, Neji and other members on the guerilla unit-Kiba, Shino and Chouji, are shadowy bringers of death as they slit the enemy's throat in the dead of night. Enemy factions start to break down without their immediate leaders. However, the strategists of Jin know that the battle would not be truly won until the enemy's overall commando, Madara, is eliminated. On a stormy night, the guerilla team, along with Lee and Naruto as extra strength, is sent out once again to accomplish this final, most important mission. Madara's legendary prowess is not exaggerated and the entire team does not escape unscathed, even when they finally manage to kill the powerful commando. The Jin warriors collapse from their injuries amidst the rubble of the enemy grounds.

The war is won and Tenten's place as the legitimate feudal lord of the Kingdom of Fire is secured. However, she is almost frantic with the lack of news after the night of the planned assassination. She immediately sends out a rescue team to the enemy grounds, her relief changing to fear when the warriors are brought back, the extent of their injuries great. Updates on their condition are brought to her hourly after treatment has started, and she breathes again when she sees that Lee and the rest of the guerilla team will be all right. Neji's condition is not as optimistic, and medics fear the worst because he has sustained a deep stab not a centimeter from his heart. After the medic retreats respectfully, Tenten leaves for Neji's room and keeps a vigil by his side. She does not believe that he will succumb, for he is her warrior.

Neji has never believed in an afterlife, not even in a long life as a warrior in an age of endless war. However, he is unable to explain the bright light that beckons him as he lies unconscious, his body seemingly detached from his mind. The light feels peaceful and he is almost tempted to reach for it, until he senses somebody whose presence attracts him, grounds him. He turns towards that presence and does not stop walking. Because she is his reason for being, and he will exist as long as she does.

She is there when he awakens as the sun still slumbers beyond the horizon. Tenten trembles, but only smiles at him. He has never failed her, not before and not now. The tears fall hot and fast but she is not aware of them as his hands reach out to hold hers. It is only when dawn breaks that she summons the physicians to administer to him.

It is a long journey to recovery for Neji. Despite her long and busy days as the new lord of the kingdom fought hard for through war, Tenten visits him daily, updating him on state affairs, at times complaining a little, for she is still a woman, and a woman is allowed to place her burdens on her man. Other times, they simply converse quietly about his comrades and her warriors, or about fighting techniques, upon which she declares that he shall continue to be her master. Sometimes, Tenten would just sit by his bed, content without the need to fill the air with inane conversation. He would drink in her company as her head rests in the crook of his neck, their bodies near but not quite touching. It is a full month later that he heals completely. Neji stays by her side as a skilful master, loyal warrior and sound advisor as Tenten tends to the issues that every new empire must face. Reestablishing rule takes time and effort and state affairs must necessarily take priority over matters of the heart. Regardless, this does not deter the silver- eyed swordsman and the female ruler from their training sessions, or the nightly rendezvous by the bamboo groves, where she would transform back into an aristocrat's daughter and serenade the night with the lute, while he writes calligraphy or draws using ink and water. It is enough that they have each other's company in a life filled with chaos and uncertainty.

When the land finally ceases to break out with civil strife and there is a return to a semblance of a peaceful and prosperous life during her father's reign, Tenten's court starts urging her to consider marriage, for it is imperative that an heir is produced to prevent another uprising. Her most trusted subjects are not surprised when she rejects all the proposed candidates presented by the court. Instead, her eyes calmly meet those of Neji's as she announces in a ringing voice that her choice has been made long ago. That night, she waits for him by the bamboo groves. Though the ruler of a kingdom, with a capacity for bravery and capability well beyond that of an ordinary woman, she knows that it would take only one word from him to crumble her. Yet, she has faith. When Neji enters the grove, her heart leaps despite her calm demeanor as she waits for her warrior to come to her. When he gathers her in his arms and she feels his heart beat next to hers, she knows then that her faith has not been in vain.

They wed in the fall. Tenten is resplendent in her wedding finery and Neji is the epitome of fierce pride as they bow to heaven as their witness. There is much fanfare in the Kingdom of Jin as her people celebrate their new leader's day of happiness. Subjects pay the couple respects in the grand receiving hall, and elaborate gifts from distinguished allies and acquaintances arrive at the castle as a form of diplomatic respect. At night, talented performers from all over the land entertain her court as course after course of intricately prepared food is served. The first royal wedding of the Kingdom of Fire ends with the release of firecrackers to bring in good fortune and peace for the matrimony and Jin rule.

The newly- wed couple is finally alone in their wedding chambers. As their lips meet for the first time, it is almost unbearably sweet. The kiss deepens imperceptibly as his hands move to slip into her hair, the elaborate pins falling unnoticed on the ground. She brings him closer, pressing her body against the hard length of him. When they fall on the bed, she lies beneath him, breath coming out in erratic puffs as her fingers trace the his beautiful face, so full of love for her. He kisses a line down her forehead, her nose and finally reclaims her lips, and they remove each other's robes while his tongue starts a gentle assault, which she returns with fervor. Her fingers explore his broad chest, feathering down his toned abdomen, eliciting groans from him. He looks at her with banked passion as he slowly turns his mouth to explore her soft skin, nuzzling at her neck while she kisses his hard jaw. She gasps when he reaches her breasts, paying them as much attention as he had on her mouth, his fingers burning on her skin as they touch every part of her. She aches to give him the same amount of pleasure as he is lavishing on her and she kisses every inch of his body that she can reach, marveling at the way his muscles coil and bunch powerfully beneath her touch. She is new in the way of men but instinct guides her hand to cup him gently, and she hears his sharp intake of breath. Beaming at him, she begins stroking him, feeling irrationally proud when he groans her name out before crushing his lips to hers. His hands start to travel more urgently around her body and she cries out when he slips a finger into her core. An unnamed sensation begins to build up as he moves his finger deftly and she arches against him, craving for something that she does not know. He leans forward and kisses her deeply, silver eyes blazing. She returns his kiss, and he acknowledges her silent acquiescence. When he thrusts into her, the fleeting moment of pain is gone as swiftly as she realizes that they are truly as one now, and tears start forming in her eyes as he brings her closer and closer to the brink. When they fall off the edge, it is together, and the powerful aftershocks leave her crying out his name as he pours his warmth into her. Warrior and ruler finally claim each other fully, their souls seared together forever.


End file.
